12. The Largest Cities of Canada
Canada is a country of large cities. The most important among them is the capital of
the country, Ottawa. It is situated on the picturesque bank of the Ottawa River. The name of the city comes from the Indian word meaning "trade" because, for a very long time, Ottawa has been a large trading centre. The suburbs of the city house different industrial factories: electronic enterprises, food processing factories, paper mills and others. Ottawa is called a city of bridges. There are more than 20 bridges in the city. Ottawa is famous for its walks, along which about a million of tulips bloom in spring.
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Ottawa, the capital since 1857; Rideau Hall (the official residence of the Governor
General), the National Museum of Canada (collections representing the Indian and Eskimo cultures), the Public Archives of Canada, the Royal Canadian War Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, Ottawa University (with classes for English- and French- speaking students).
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Montreal,
the major city in the province of Quebec; Canada's financial,
commercial
and industrial centre; the largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris; Mount Royal Park, James Street (known as "Wall Street of Canada"), Notre Dame de Montreal (the most famous church, its name resembles "Notre Dame de Paris"), the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the residential areas are divided into French-speaking and English-speaking neighbourhoods.
Toronto, the largest city in the province of Ontario; a large port, an international
airport, an industrial and manufacturing centre, an artistic and musical centre with the Art Gallery of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Royal Ontario Museum; a student centre with the University of Toronto, Ryerson Institute of Technology, York University.
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Edmonton,
the capital of the province of Alberta; the University of Alberta.
Calgary, the administrative and financial centre of Canada's oil industry; the
Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Mount Royal College, the Allied Arts Centre, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jubilee Auditorium.
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Vancouver,
the youngest and most dynamic city of the country, the largest city
in the province of British Columbia, noted for its large Oriental
population and, due to this, colourful
folk festivals, including the annual Vancouver Festival of the Arts.
13. The Culture and Science in Canada
Canada is a multicultural society. The French and British traditions and the constant
infusion of the United States' culture give the Canadian nation and culture their complex three-dimensional character. The Canadians have always struggled for their cultural identity against the cultural influence of the French, the British and especially of their southern neighbour, the USA. Due to this struggle, Canada is not just a blender counterpart of these cultures. The peoples of Canada have created a country that is decidedly different, being quite original and distinctive. The national sense of cultural unease has produced a torrent of great outstanding people, who display the distinct Canadian spirit in their creative work and heritage. Below are just a few of them.
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Literature
Stephen Butler Leacock, a humorist and satiric writer: numerous stories, ironic and
even bitterly satiric of the modern human society and its "moral" values.
• Dyson Carter, a writer: "Russia's Secret Weapon" ("Секретное оружие России", a
book about the Soviet science), the novels "Tomorrow Is With Us" (Будущее за нами), "Fatherless Sons" (Сыновья без отцов).
• The contemporary writers of the last decades of the 20th century are Margaret
Atwood, Alice Munro, Robertson Davies, Michael Ondaatjee, Mordecai Richler, Réjean Ducharme, Brian Moore.
Fine Arts, Music, Opera
Masters of fine arts (painters, sculptors) and of music (singers, musicians, composers)
are often associated with particular societies and their cultures. If the works of these masters are known all over the world, it helps their nation to be recognized as a cultural society in the world, too. Canada is proud of its talented men and women,
whose creative heritage contributes to the country's cultural identity and traditions.
The Canadian outstanding modern artists are A.A. Bronson (mixed media), Ken
Danby (a painter), Nina Raginsky (a photographer), and Brett Davis (a sculptor).
Among the Canadian modern musicians are Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Neil
Young.
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George
London,
a famous Canadian bass-baritone singer
Popular Music
Avril Lavigne Celine Dion Neil Young
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Acting
Carrie-Anne Moss
Spider-Man («Человек-
-паук», 1994-1998) Matrix, TheTrinity («Матрица», 1999)
Matrix, Reloaded («Матрица:Пере- загрузка», 2003)
Science
Jim Carrey
The Mask («Маска», 1994) Dumb and Dumber («Тупой,
еще тупее», 1994)
Liar, Liar («Лжец, лжец»,
1997)
Bruce Almighty («Брюс
всемогущий», 2003)
Pamela Anderson
Show Girls
(«Шоугерлз», 1995)
Scary Movie 3
(«Очень страшное
кино - 3», 2003)
Canada is a leading country in scientific research and technological innovations:
• Frederick Banting and John MacLeod, physiologists, the Nobel Prize for the
discovery of insulin;
• Gerhard Herzberg, a physical chemist, the Nobel Prize for research in chemistry;
• Ludwig Bertalanffy, a biologist: the general system theory;
• Clement Boman, the Nobel Prize for research in power engineering ("Global Energy") in 2007.